Saturday, August 17, 2013

what a great weekend. well first of all the weather. awesome.
I worked all week at school and got a lot done. I'm ready for first day of classes on Mon and Tues. :)
of course I'll be right back at it after classes Monday getting things turned in to the print shop in time to have for next class etc etc. I'll have to get used to being planned. I can do it! ha
I had dinner with okc buddy S last night, meeting up at Chelino's and catching up after not seeing each other for a long while. he goes back and forth to AR to see his bf and I was out of town for a couple weeks etc etc. we caught up and discussed his job and health and how happy he is having his bf. ahhh.
He's been having seizures of some sort while sleeping (At first his bf pointed it out and asked him about it and he was unaware, and then he started to wake up and realize he was gripping the bf or had his arms outreached and tensed...)and for the first time he had one while conscious driving the other day. so he's going in to get checked. it's so random and we're all concerned deeply.
today was pretty groovy, I woke up early and went and had a move job with hs buddy A. She and I talked about how we need to rent a place in P town some summer and get up there for a vacation with some her lesbian friends and some of my friends etc.. make it work! perhaps..
I volunteered at the college today at the orientation, giving tours to about 6 students showing them classes. afterwards stopped by to see S and his bf where they were swimming at some friends' house. got home this afternoon and cleaned up the place and worked outside a bit. my Austin buddy is coming by and we plan to go out to dinner and catch up, although I plan on driving down next weekend, it's pretty cool he's in town here. He had mentioned on a social network that he was going to boycott the olympics in Russia and I had to comment back that I hadn't realized he'd been training and for what event? ha
anyone else getting out on vacation this summer? I didn't go anywhere much last year, so it was cool to get away a few times this summer. and next weekend's drive to Austin will be nice as well. although no fun shopping for anything since my first paycheck isn't until the following weekend. shucks!
I have absolutely nothing more to say, just sitting here waiting for austin buddy to show up. I have on my grey suede sperry topsiders without socks of course, and some tan with sort of a grey and light blue plaid on them that I bought in NYC at the Quiksilver store, and a light blue and white striped flimsy comfy cotton polo shirt that I got at Joe Fresh in NYC. anyway blah, that's what I'm wearing unless he shows up in a tshirt inwhich I plan to put on my light brown Fleet Foxes t shirt from the Austin City Limits Music Festival a couple years ago. its a nice tighty T. :) I've already changed shirts and shoes a few times waiting for him to come by. ha . what do you think guys. is it pretty normal to see what your friend is wearing before finalizing the outfit before going out? or do you at least ask a bud? you know you have, for example, are you wearing shorts? are you wearing jeans? etc maybe up east coast they ask each other if they're wearing a sports jacket or not. I dunno........... I'm going to go sit on the porch swing and look for my buddy. ciao!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

anyone seen "the Time Traveler's Wife"? I watched it last weekend Sunday afternoon and just about bawled off and on the whole movie. it was sort of sad the way the guy had no control over his time travel and then the death and life experiences he had to deal with going backward and forward.... really got to me, also of course the part about having children.
I know you'll say the book is way better and that way more happens in the book etc etc.. but I've only seen the film.
I was thinking about it for a few days, why didn't he go back to see this person? or why not forward to this person? and such questions, which the more I thought about it, there were things/people that he wouldn't know TO VISIT until they happened in the present, if that makes sense. anyway really moving film and of course the main reason I wanted to see it was for Eric Bana but the movie pulled me in regardless.
I have a lot to do yet this week at work, a new computer online assignment option was given to us yesterday with our new textbook, so I want to work that in, have the students go online once a week and do a grammar lesson. I'm also setting up everything on the online calendar with class assignments that students can see when they log into the school system. Are you bored yet?
I'm feeling in a funk at the gym this week. after the time off it's been hard to get back into my groove, I'm still swimming as much as possible for cardio and doing my work outs but only 3 sets instead of 4. Hopefully I'll kick it back to my usual, what keeps me motivated is the trip to Austin. actually my Austin bud is going to be in the city this weekend so we get to hang out some Saturday if he calls me.
have a good week! back to my breakfast and gathering things to take up to campus with me this morning.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

lots of meetings yesterday and some office time all afternoon. new staff met our mentors for the year, which is nice to have someone to go to for all the questions and stuff. I also went to a department meeting which was interesting meeting the other full time faculty, a varied lot. It was awkward seeing a fellow adjunct that I shared office hours with last year, a really great guy. He and I both applied for the job and he didn't get it although there were two openings, and I'd hoped we both would get them... so that was awkward. Thing is, there is a very awesome girl who had worked full time in the writing lab for 3 years, and I mean really got that lab going, and I figure she had to be a shoe in for one of the positions. anyway, another awkward thing was the other professors saying "congratulations" in the meeting or in the hallways passing. I guess I hadn't realized what an ordeal it was to get the job, I'll be working my best to live up to the position definitely. whew pressure is on!
Actually I don't feel too pressured, I plan to keep doing what I have been doing just to try my best to keep prepared and teach the classes. But I definitely feel way more dedicated and like throwing myself into this job 100%, really sink my teeth in to, you get the picture. Today I'm bringing a rug to hang in my office and a few chairs and some thing for the walls. It will take me a while to get it just right, but I'll post a photo when I get everything just right. Profs keep coming in and asking if I need a table or chairs etc.. and I am explaining that as soon as I get everything worked out for my classes I'll get to the office set up...
I have a fellow new faculty next door to my office. a girl from Columbia who teaches Spanish. So perhaps that will help me keep up my practicing Spanish... I've also set up my office hours so that I'll have an hour free each morning to go practice piano in the practice labs. Good for me to get regular practice and also perhaps a good stress relief and time to think and focus on things.
One encouraging thing happened at the gym last night. A student from my summer class showed up and walked over while I was on the treadmill to say hi and shook my hand. He was telling me that he wasn't able to take my comp II class because of scheduling and that he had a new job cleaning windows on the new Devon tower building downtown okc (it's new and twice the height of all the other buildings downtown!). He was the student that wrote the paper on the "art of electronic dance music" ha, and I had given him a CD of what I considered to be good electronic music, and had wondered what he thought of it. He mentioned the cd and said he did enjoy the mix of songs. I joked some more about his paper topic and then he was off to workout with his younger brother.
I did NOT workout yesterday. cardio only. getting back into swimming laps after vacation had my shoulders feeling tight, plus i worked shoulders and back the day before so I had a bit of a headache after work and really just wanted to relax! my college has a nice olympic sized pool so I hope to swim laps eventually once I'm settled in. I want to keep up with workouts and swimming consistently these next two weeks though because of the trip to austin, whether it makes any difference in how I LOOK, I know it makes a difference in how I FEEL I look.. if that makes sense.
rain and thunder and lightning this morning so I couldnt' go swim morning laps if I wanted to. pull is always shut down when there is chance of lightning. even indoor pools. interesting huh. hope eveyone is having a good winding down of summer....

Monday, August 12, 2013

Sunday, August 11, 2013

I went to see the new Joss Whedon film of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" last night. it was AWESOMENESS!!! If you have the chance/inkling to see the film, you HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE TO see it. I was just blown away at the adaptation and acting. I was laughing one moment and almost brought to tears the next, amazingly done! It all takes place pretty much in one setting, Whedon's own house, where the film was shot in just 12 days. yet, it doesn't feel rushed, the story line all fits together seamlessly throughout each scene as the characters fall in and out of love while others conceive to thwart all plans of happiness. What art! What words! What fun!
The film was showing at the art museum downtown here in OKC, so you might have to search out the film in your area if it's available. The film is shot in black and white, and the party scenes remind me of the Pet Shop Boys' video "Never Being Boring" directed by Herb Ritts, ha.. If you are in OKC then the last showing is today at 2pm, alas.... Today I'm just getting everything around the house picked up and laundry done, and there are stacks of mail and magazines on the floor here that I'm going to sort through and try to get rid of it or find a place for it. I was putting away clothes this morning and thinking how this semester I can't really just wear whatever like I did with the high school job. I will probably need to buy a few more long sleeve dress shrits, ties, and khaki's, ha. Only other things on my mind right now are finishing up stuff for my two classes and setting aside clothes that I'll be packing for Austin, that trip is coming up in two weeks. woohoo!

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About Me

daninokc@gmail.com
After finishing grad school I left OKC to teach overseas for a year, returned to teach high school for 3 years, and now am teaching fulltime at a community college, it's AWESOME....I'm overall an optimistic fun social type of guy. I like to take care of myself, get involved in projects, love to travel and at home just find time to RELAX.